Receta Barbeque - Asian Style.
The first time I had ever
experienced Hoisin sauce, or should I say knowingly had it, was at a Chinese
restaurant in New York City's Chinatown.
Ever seen a photo of a huge round table, with a, almost as huge, turn
table in the center? The many platters
and bowls of food set upon it, and as it is turned, diners take a portion of
each delicacy offered. I had been asked to a celebration dinner which consisted
of such a set up, and one delicacy served was Peking Duck. There was a thick, dark sauce served with the
duck; smearing just a small amount onto a Chinese pancake, a few slivers of
duck and scallion were then wrapped within the pancake. The first bite was a surprise, but the
continuing bites lead to ecstasy; such a rich, heady flavor came from the
sauce.
My next conscious
experience with Hoisin was having Mhu Shu (also written as Moo Shu or Mu Shu)
Pork; a pork and vegetable mixture which is eaten inside, again, a pancake
smeared with Hoisin. A most excellent dish and if pork is not to your liking,
it can be prepared with shrimp, chicken, beef or a combination. Be careful though, while these pancakes with
filling are small, do not be surprised that you ate several more than you ever
intended to.
Hoisin sauce is the
Chinese version of barbecue sauce which, besides grilling, can be used in stir
fries, marinades, as a condiment or a thickener. It is a soy based sauce having
the components of salty, sweet and spicy due to the additional ingredients of
garlic, vinegar, sweeteners and chilies. The texture of the sauce is usually
thick, but can be thinned with the addition of sesame oil or water until the
desired consistency is achieved.
While Hoisin can be
purchased in a store, it can just as easily be made at home. Having a mortar
and pestle handy in the kitchen is an asset for creating the paste quality of
some of the ingredients. Patience is also necessary as it needs a good amount
of mixing to help the ingredients meet and marry together; using a blender is
quite useful for this and easier on the wrist.
Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients:
6 Tbsps. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. each creamy peanut
butter and black bean paste
1 Tbsp. each honey and
dark molasses
2 tsps. white vinegar
¼ tsp. each garlic and
onion paste
2 tsps. sesame oil
1/8 tsp. ground black
pepper
Hot sauce – dependent upon
how mild, medium or hot is desired, or add pieces of chopped chilies to the
garlic and onion when creating the paste.
Preparation:
Add all ingredients into a
medium bowl, or into a blender, and mix until smooth. The texture will be
thick; if a thinner consistency is desired, add a teaspoon of sesame oil or
water until achieved.
Makes ½ cup.
One item I like to use
Hoisin on is salmon; giving the fish a rich, smoky flavor from the sauce and a
mild sweetness and spice from the glaze it creates. As a side dish, cook up a
package of ramen, adding oriental style vegetables such as snow pea pods,
bamboo shoots, shitake mushrooms, and red bell peppers for colors; substitute ½
cup soy sauce for the equivalent of the water needed.
The salmon has the skin
and bones removed and cut into 4 to 6 ounce portions; depending on how large
the side of salmon is. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a jelly roll pan with
aluminum foil. Use a pastry brush to spread a half cup of Hoisin sauce over the
foil, wherever the salmon will be lying. Place the salmon on the foil and brush
it liberally with sauce; sprinkle a little ground ginger over all. Bake the
salmon for 20 minutes; test for doneness in the thickest part of the filets.
While the salmon is baking, the side dish can be made.
Simple and quite
delicious!
But if you
would rather have a nice bit o’ beef…
Fresh
brisket, a lovely red color to the meat, just a 1/4 inch fat cap on top; and
just at the two pound mark. Too small
for the smoker; too pretty to cut up for use in a recipe; what to do is a good
question!
I saw the
bottle of Hoisin sauce (yes, I keep a bottle on hand) on the refrigerator door shelf. Hmmm, a smoky sauce with a multitude of
flavors on a pretty cut of brisket; and the brain kicked in with an idea. Have not had good fried rice in a while
either, so I knew that would be my side dish; a dash of Hoisin would give it a
little smokiness as well.
Hoisin Beef (Brisket)
Ingredients:
2 lb. beef brisket,
trimmed of fat
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
(or white vinegar)
½ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 cup Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsps. diced red onion
Preparation:
Two hours before roasting
the brisket; rub the vinegar over all sides of the meat, wrap in plastic wrap
and refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 325F; line
roasting pan with aluminum foil. Score
top and bottom of meat with diagonal cuts, creating one inch diamond
marks. Mix together the ginger, white
pepper and salt; rub on both sides of meat.
Place meat in pan and roast for 15 minutes.
Mix together sauce, garlic
and onion; turn meat over in pan, baste top and sides of meat with sauce
mixture making sure to get sauce into score marks. Return to oven for 30 minutes; turn over
meat, baste and roast for another 30 minutes for medium-rare. For medium; repeat turn and baste process,
roast for 30 minutes more. For
medium-well; repeat turn and baste process, roast for 30 minutes more.
Remove meat to cutting
board; rest for 5 minutes before slicing; spoon sauce from roasting pan over
meat. Serve with fried rice; when making
rice, add one teaspoon of Hoisin sauce for every three servings to boost the
flavor.
Makes 6 servings.
Oh, the
recipe for fried rice? Don’t worry, that
will be coming soon enough. If I gave
you all the recipes, all at once, whatever else would I write about?Mary Cokenour